Electrochemical carbon dioxide capture and recovery in a solid electrolyte reactor system

Abstract

A device for carbon capture from a CO 2 containing source includes a cathode compartment including a cathode electrode, an anode compartment including an anode electrode, a middle compartment which includes an ion conducting layer, a cation exchange membrane, and an anion exchange membrane. The middle compartment is separated from the cathode and anode by the anion and cation exchange membranes. A method for carbon capture from a CO 2 containing source includes providing the device, supplying the CO 2 containing source to the cathode, reacting the CO 2 from the source with an electrochemically generated species from the cathode to form a carbon species or directly reducing the CO 2 at the cathode to form the carbon species, driving the carbon species to the middle compartment, and reacting, in the middle compartment, the carbon species with an oxidation product from the anode to form an exit product comprising CO 2 .

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for carbon capture from a CO 2  containing source comprising:
 providing a device comprising:
 a cathode compartment including a cathode electrode for one or more reduction reactions; 
 an anode compartment including an anode electrode for one or more oxidation reactions; 
 a middle compartment which comprises an ion conducting layer; 
 a cation exchange membrane; and 
 an anion exchange membrane; 
 wherein the middle compartment is separated from the cathode and the anode by the anion exchange membrane and the cation exchange membrane; 
   supplying the CO 2  containing source to the cathode;   reacting the CO 2  from the source with an electrochemically generated species from the cathode to form a carbon species, or directly reducing the CO 2  at the cathode to form the carbon species;   driving the carbon species to the middle compartment;   reacting, in the middle compartment, the carbon species with an oxidation product from the anode to form an exit product comprising CO 2 .   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the carbon species is an ionic carbon species. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein driving the carbon species is conducted electrically. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein driving the carbon species is conducted by mass-diffusion. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the device is an electrochemical device performing electrolysis to separate CO 2  from the CO 2  containing source. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the ion conducting layer, comprises a porous solid electrolyte or a liquid electrolyte. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the source further comprises one or more of O 2 , CO, H 2 , NO x , SO x , H 2 O, Ar, CH 4 , and N 2 , wherein x is a non-zero integer. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the exit product comprises CO 2  gas in a higher concentration than the CO 2  concentration of the CO 2  containing source. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , where the source comprises CO 2  in an amount of 10 ppm to or more. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein a portion of the exit product not comprising water vapor comprises CO 2  gas with a purity of 10% by volume or more. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more reduction reactions in the cathode compartment comprise one or more reduction reactions selected from the group consisting of an oxygen reduction, a CO 2  reduction reaction, a CO reduction reaction, an N 2  reduction reaction, a nitrate reduction reaction, a nitrite reduction reaction, a reduction reaction producing a species that absorbs CO 2 , and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the one or more reduction reactions in the cathode compartment comprises an oxygen reduction reaction to form a hydroxide ion species, and wherein the electrochemically generated species comprises the hydroxide ion species. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising supplying an oxidation input to the anode compartment, the oxidation input comprising one or more of protons, H 2 , H 2 O, NH 3 , HCOOH, CO, methanol, ethanol, acetic acid, and an oxidation producing species to regenerate CO 2  in the middle compartment. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more oxidation reactions in the anode compartment comprise an oxygen evolution reaction to form oxygen and protons. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more oxidation reactions in the anode compartment comprises a hydrogen oxidation reaction to form protons. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more oxidation reaction is performed in the presence of a catalyst in the anode compartment. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more reduction reaction is performed in the presence of a catalyst in the cathode compartment. 
     
     
         18 . A device for carbon capture from a CO 2  containing source, comprising:
 a cathode compartment including a cathode electrode for one or more reduction reactions;   an anode compartment including an anode electrode for one or more oxidation reactions;   a middle compartment which comprises an ion conducting layer;   a cation exchange membrane; and   an anion exchange membrane;   wherein the middle compartment is separated from the cathode and the anode by the anion exchange membrane and the cation exchange membrane.   
     
     
         19 . A system for carbon capture from a CO 2  containing source, comprising:
 the device of claim  18 ; and   a liquid/gas separator fluidly connected to the device and configured to separate an exit product obtained from the device into CO 2 -containing gas and a liquid.   
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 19 , further comprising:
 an anolyte tank fluidly connected to the anode compartment of the device and configured to introduce and receive an anolyte from the anode compartment of the device.